Actor Paul Giamatti gave U.S. Attorney John Durham some credit for informing his character on Showtime’s Billions.
The Hollywood star plays fictional U.S. Attorney-turned-New York Attorney General Chuck Rhoades, who is loosely based on former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, on the show, but Bharara isn’t the only inspiration for the role. Speaking with GQ last week, Giamatti revealed that Durham influenced the portrayal of his character too.
“There was a guy that was interesting to me early on, and his name is John Durham,” he said. “And he’s actually the guy who William Barr tagged to do the investigation of the Russia investigation. He used to be the federal attorney for the state of Connecticut, and he’s a pretty intense guy.”
“He’s one of the guys who brought down Whitey Bulger, but he also took down the FBI guys who were colluding with Whitey Bulger,” he continued. “I thought there were a lot of things about him that were interesting. The way he looks, too, is interesting. If you look him up, you can see.”
Giamatti added, “You see him? He doesn’t look like what you normally think these guys are gonna look like, and he’s a tough guy, too. He’s a hardass.”
Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Connecticut, was handpicked by Attorney General William Barr last year to lead an investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation and the actions taken by law enforcement and the intelligence community during it. The effort has since turned into a criminal investigation, and at least one former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation after it was uncovered that he altered a document related to the surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser.
Last week, it was reported that Durham is focused on the Justice Department’s handling of its case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn after recently released FBI notes showed that agents discussed Flynn’s possible prosecution before they interviewed him. He is also putting scrutiny on CIA Director John Brennan and any undue influence he may have had during 2017’s intelligence community assessment of Russian interference.
Durham’s review is expected to wrap up this summer.
